Basket-stapling machine.



- No. 643,568. Patented Feb. 13, I900.

' J. C. TITUS.

BASKET STAPLING MACHINE.

(Application filed. on. 18, 1899.)

9 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

W/ 77V 15 SSE 8 A 770/?NEY8 n4: Nonms PKTERS c0. PHOTO LITHO., WASHINGTON n. c.

No. 643,568. Patented Feb. l3, I900.

J. C.;T|TUS.

BASKET STAPLING MACHINE.

(A lication flied Oct. 18, 1599. (No Model.) 9 Sheets-Sheet 4.

WITNESSES. IN VE N T05 M; I in M A TTOHNEYS THE NORRIS P Erzas 0a., PNuTD-LITHQ, WASHINGTON. u. c.

Patented Feh. l3, I900. J. C. TITUS.

BASKET STAPLING MACHINE.

(Applicajsion filed Oct. 18, 1899.) (No Model.) 9 Sheets-Sheet 5.

WITNESSES INVENTOH A 77051915 rs "m: NORRIS wrrzns ca. PHGTO LITHDJWASHINDTON, n. c.

No. 643568. Patnted Feb. I3, 1900.

- J. c. TITUS.

BASKET STAPLING MACHINE.

(Apph t nflldOt 1a 1899) 9 Shasta-Shoat e,

(No Model.)

' lA /VENTOH (75m 0. Tillie.

WITNESSES No. 643,568. Patented Feb. l3, I900.

J. C. TiTUS. BASKET STAPLING MACHINE.

(Application filed Oct. 18, 1899.) (No Model.) 9 Sheets-Shae! 1.

INVENTOI? wfiw/ 0.1 5127%.

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Patented Feb. I3, I900.

.1. p. Trrus. BASKET STAPLING MACHINE.

(Application filed Oct. 18, 1899) 9 Sheets-Sheet 8;

(No Model.)

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W/ TN E SSE S 4 A TTOHNEYS n4: NORRIS vznzns o0. FHOTO-LITNO.,WASHINGT17N. o. c.

z z l No. 643,568. Patented Fab. I3, 1900.

- .1. c. TITUS.

BASKET STAPLING MACHINE.

(Application flied Oct. 18, 1899.) (No Model.) 9 Shoots-Sheet 9.v

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, of the removable floor-plate.

I on the former.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

JOHN O. TITUS, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE FARMERS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BASKET-STAPLING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,568, dated February 13, 1900. Application filed October 18, 1899. Serial No. 733,977- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. TITUS, of Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Basket-stapling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of machines which are employed for forming and driving Wire staples into the marginal strip or rim of a berry-basket to reinforce or secure its edge. In such machines the basket is formed by. taking two pieces of veneer which are creased or grooved transversely to form the bottom and sides, and these two pieces of veneer are laid across each other at right angles upon a square former having tapered sides. A thin strip arranged on the inside and another on the outside clamp the edges of the basket between them, and the fastening of these strips to the edges of the basket is the work which my machine is intended to perform. turned by hand to successively present each one of its four sides to the staple-driving devices, which was a tedious operation.

My present invention is intended to provide automatic mechanism whereby the basketformer is not only presented to the stapledriving device, but the basket and former are turned around automatically to successively present each of its four sides, and when the four sides are finished the Working mechanism of the machine is automatically stopped and the driving-wheel runs free while the attendant is fitting the parts of a new basket to the former.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the entire machine. Fig. 2 is aside elevation lookingin the direction of the arrow 1 in Fig. 1, but with the driving-pulley removed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation from the opposite side looking in the direction of the arrow 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view with parts broken away. Fig. 5 is an underneath plan view. Fig. 6 is a perspective view from the side shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 6 is a detail of the cam-headed slide. Fig. 7 is a detail Fig. 8 isa crosssection on line 8 8 of Fig. l with the basket Fig. 9 is a vertical cross-section on line 9 9 of Figs. 1 and 3. Fig.'10 is The former heretofore has been a perspective view of the former and basket, shown in section with the staple about to be driven through and clenched. Fig. 11 is a similar view after the staple has been driven through and clenched. Fig. 12 is a transverse vertical section on line 12 12 of Fig. 1, and Figs. 13, 14, and 15 are details hereinafter referred to.

My present improvements are shown applied to an old form of staple forming and driving device, and to avoid prolixity I will only describe so much of its construction and operation as is necessary to understand my present improvements, which latter relate to the means for turning and presenting the former and basket to the staple-driving devices and for automatically throwing the ma chine out of gear when a basket is finished.

X is a main drive-Wheel which is arranged to be coupled to a horizontal shaft A, Fig. 12, bearing at the other end a hub A, with a single tooth or. This tooth at suitable intervals engages and turns one space a notched disk A Figs. 1 and 3, rigidly secured to the side of a gear-wheel A This gear-wheel engages a smallerone A on a transverse shaft bearing two grooved disks A A bearing against two grooved rollers A A, Figs. 1 and 9. v Two lengths of wire w to pass down from reels suspended above (not shown) and are threaded through the small eyes a a and then pass,'respectively, between the grooves of the two pairs of disks A and rollers A to be fed thereby. Suitable sliding devices Y, Fig.1, reciprocating lengthwise in the table under the wire-feeding rollers and actuated by cams Z Z, Figs. 1 and 12, on the main shaft A, are made to cutoff two lengths of wire, bend them into two U-shaped staples, and thrust them out through openings y y, Figs. 9 and 10, in the side of a transverse abutment-bar B and into the rim of the basket, which by devices hereinafter described is projected against this abutment-bar. All of the devices so far referred to are old and do not form any part of my present invention.

T is the table, and F the former, upon which the parts of the basket U are assembled and secured by staples. This table '1 is on a level with the lower edge of the abutment-bar B and in such relation to the same that a basket inverted upon the former F and resting with its edges upon the table T (see Figs. 10 and 11) brings the reinforcing-rims of the basket opposite the vertical slots y y in the abutment-bar B, so as to permit the staples in issuing from the said slots (from the action of the drivers behind them) to penetrate the outer and inner rims of the basket and clamp the edges of the veneer between them. As the staples pass through they clench against clench-blocks B B, which have a reciprocating motion in slots in the table and advance toward the abutment-bar, so as to squeeze the edges of the basket between these blocks and the abutment-bar. The former F is of the shape of the interiorof the basket, and it is provided with a notch or elongated slot 0, Fig. 1, in its middle that fits upon the flattened end 0, Fig. 8, of a vertical standard O, which by mechanism hereinafter described both reciprocates to and from the abutmentbar and rotates, with its rigidly attached former, about a vertical axis to allow the several sides of the basket to be presented to the staple-driving devices.

To carry the former to and from the abut ment-bar, it is mounted on a sliding bedplate D, Figs. and 5, which slides longitudinally in guideways in the subfloor T of the table. This plate D has a downwardly-projecting lug d, Figs. 2, 3, and 5,. which is connected to a long horizontal arm D, which is bent up at its other end and embraces the crank of the main shaft A, as seen in Fig. 12, so that as the crank-shaft revolves the arm D and plate D are made to reciprocate and carry the former F back and forth. The clench-blocks B B are mounted on slide D, as seen in Figs. 4 and 8. To adapt the clenchblocks to different thicknesses of wood at the edge of the basket and cause them always to tightly clamp the basket edge against the abutment-bar, the lug d of the reciprocating plate D (see Figs. 3 and 4.) is pulled forward by a coil-spring d, wound about the reduced end of the arm D and retained and adjusted as to tension by a nut d screwed on the end of said arm.

I will now describe how the former and its basket are rotated. The former is rigidly connected to and supported by the vertical spindle O by its flat end 0 entering the slot 0, as seen in Figs. 1 and 8. This vertical spindle swivels in bearings in a sliding plate D Figs. 4 and 8, moving longitudinally in guidesin the sliding bed-plate D. This spindle has above the plate D a rigidly-attached disk 0 with four lugs on it, which are engaged by a detent 0 Below the plate said spindle has another rigidly-attached disk Figs. 5 and 8, with four ratchet-teeth on its periphery separated so that each represents a quarter of a revolution. Swinging on the spindle just above this lower ratchet-disk is an arm 0, bearing a spring-seated tooth c engaging with said ratchet-wheel. The outer end of this arm 0 is given a swinging motion through a quarter of a circle, as follows: The outer end of arm 0 is jointed to a link 0 and this in turn is jointed to the outer end of a lever G which at c is fulcrumed to a pin projecting downwardly from the sublioor, and at c the lever is loosely connected by a slot and pin to a reciprocating bar 0, Figs. 4 and 5, sliding in a guide 0 below the table, said bar having its other end fashioned into a yoke Z, embracing a cam on the main shaft A, already well known and which it is not necessary to describe. As this bar (J reciprocates its movement through lever C link 0 and arm 0', acting on ratchet-wheel 0 Fig. 5, serves to give an intermittent quarter-turn to the swiveling spindle carrying the former. The object of the toothed disk 0 and detent 0 above the table (see Fig. 4) is to hold the spindle while the swinging arm C, Fig. 5, is moving back for a fresh hold.

I will now describe the means by which the machine is made to turn the former a quarter of a revolution four times in succession and then be automatically disconnected from the driving-pulley while the attendant is fitting the parts of a new basket to the former. The hub 0:, Figs. 6 and 12, of the pulley X lies close beside a boss E, which is rigid on the main shaft A, and the hub and boss are made to act as the two parts of a clutch, as follows: In the face of the hub 00 which adjoins the boss there is a recess or circular groove having a lug so, and in the boss there is a sliding spring-bolt e, Figs. 6, 12, 14, and 15, which-slides in a direction parallel to the shaft A and is forced toward the hub 50 by a curved spring e, lying in a circular groove on the other side of the boss. Vhen this bolt e is projected toward the pulley, it passes into the path of the lug 00 of the pulley, and the pulley is thus locked to the boss, and the rotation of the pulley turns the boss, the main shaft A, and the various parts of the machine; but when the bolte is withdrawn from range of engagement of the lug 0c of the pulley the latter runs free and the machineis at rest. Every revolution of the shaft A makes and drives the staples for one side of the basket, and as there are four sides this disconnecting mechanism must operate at every fourth revolution of the shaft. This is done as follows: On the shaft A, beside the boss E, there is a rigidly-attached gear-wheel E, Figs. 1, 4, and 12, and meshing with this is a larger gear-wheel E having just four times as many teeth as E. In the side of this large gear-wheel, Figs. 2 and 6, is a cam-groove e, which is circular, but has on one side a recess 6 extending toward the center. In this cam-groove there plays a pin 6, rigidly fixed to the inner side of a horizontal reciprocating clutch-tripping bar E This bar is guided in its reciprocation by slots in it, one of which, in front, embraces the aXial pin of gear-wheel E and the other of which, in the rear, fits over and is guided by a pin or screw a in the edge of the subfloor or bed-plate. The forward end of IIO the trip-bar has a curved or inclined cam flange or head a on its end, and the springbolt in the boss has aright-angularou'tturned lug e", which in its revolution strikes against the inclined cam flange or head of the bar E and by it is retracted so as to draw the bolt back and unclutch the pulley-hub from the boss. This is allowed to happen for every revolution of the large gear-wheel E and as the latter has four times as many teeth as the gear on the main shaft it only happens once for every four revolutions of the main shaft or at the end of the four turns necessary to complete a basket. This occurs by reason of the fact that the clutch-trip bar E with its cam-head, is held away from contact with the spring-bolt of the clutch by the tripbar pin e riding in the cam-groove e of the large gear; but when the large gear completes its revolution (marking four revolutions of the main shaft) the recess 6 Fig. 2, extending from the cam-groove toward the center, allows the pin e of the clutch-trip bar E to be thrown forward by a spring, soas to engage its cam-head with the lug e of the clutchbolt, and so disconnect the driving-pulley. The spring to throw the bar E forward may be located anywhere, but a convenient arrangement is to recess the edge of the subfloor T and locate a coil-spring E therein, Fig. 4, one end being anchored to the stationary floor and the other to the bar.

When a basket has been finished and removed from the former and a new one has been fitted upon the former and it is desired to start the machine again, this is effected in a very simple and convenient manner by the attendant, who for this purpose simply presses the former forward a little. This former,with the vertical spindle and spindle-plate, moves forward in response to this pressure against the tension of a coil-spring G, anchored at one end to the lower bearing of the spindle and at the other end to the lug d on plate D, as seen in Figs. 2 and 5. This forward movement of the former effects the clutching of the pulley as follows: A shoulder or projection m, Fig. 4, on the top of the spindle-plate neath the former-table and plays in a notch 77 in the upper edge of the trip-bar E so that when the former, with its basket, is pressed forward by the attendant the projection m deflects lever H and draws back trip-bar E whose cam-head e being taken away from the clutch-bolt e in the boss allows the bolt to advance from the action of the spring cf and recouple the driving-pulley, thereby starting into automatic action the staple making and driving machinery, which then successively fastens the four sides of the basket before stopping, as before described.

On the forward side of the lever H, next to the former-spindle, there is fashioned a hookdetent h, and this serves to catch against the lug-disk e and prevent the spindle and former from being rotated too far by the momentum of the parts as set in motion by the ratchet mechanism below.

Behind the spindle-plate D there are two spring-seated buffer-studs t' t, Fig. 4, which slide in bored recesses in the plate D and are forced backwardly against the coil-springs behind them when the plate D moves backwardly to its extreme position.

If a basket having more sides than four is to be constructed, it is of course only necessary to change the shape of the former and to increase the number of teeth in the gearwheel E in relation to E, so as to make the number of revolutions of wheel E to E to correspond to the sides of the basket.

In the place of the staple forming and driving mechanism any other devices or naildriving machinery may be used.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a basket or box nailing machine, the combination with the driving devices, of a former for the basket having both an intermittently-rotating, and intermittently-reciprocating motion, and gearing connecting the same to the actuating-wheel arranged to continue in automatic action for said rotary and rectilinear movements of the former until the sides of the basket are all secured, and automaticclutch and disconnecting mechanism arranged to act but once in the complete revolution of the basket-former as described.

2. In a basket or box nailing machine, the combination with the driving devices having abutment-bar B with openings in its abutting face for the staples or nails; of a table located at the lower edge of the abutment bar, a former mounted upon a rotary spindle above said table and having both an intermittently-rotating and intermittently-recip rocating motion to successively present the several sides to the abutment-bar, one or more clenching-blocks arranged beneath the former and having a reciprocating motion to advance to the inner side of the basketand compress the edge of the latter between them and the abutment-bar and means for automatically continuing the action until all sides of the former have been so presented substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a basket or. box nailing machine, the combination with the staple or nail driving mechanism, the former and its intermittentlyrotating devices; of means for reciprocating the former to and from the staple or nail driving mechanism and a clutch with uncoupling devices arranged to be set into action at the complete revolution of the former as described.

4:. In a basket or box nailing machine, the combination with the staple or nail driving mechanism, and the former and its intermittently-rotating devices and means for reciprocating the former bodily; of a small gearwheel on the main shaft, an intermeshing larger gear whose teeth represent a number of multiples of the small gear dependent upon the number of nailing actions, said large gear having a cam-groove, a trip-bar having a pin working in said cam-groove, a clutch on the main shaft operated by the trip-bar, and means interposed between the reciprocating devices carrying the former and the trip for starting the machine by pushing the former bodily substantially as described.

5. In a basket or box nailing machine, the combination with the staple or nail driving mechanism having an abutment-bar with openings in its abutting face for the staple, a table T arranged at the lower edge of the abutment-bar, a vertical spindle bearing a former above the table, a sliding plate D with clutch-blocks B B, horizontal spring-cushioned arm D for reciprocating it, a spindlecarrying plate D slidi ng in the plate D,ratchet mechanism for turning the spindle with a stepby-step movement, a clutch-coupling lever H acted upon by the movement of the spindlecarrying plate, and automatic uncoupling devices for the clutch arranged to act at every revolution of the former as and for the purpose described.

6. In a basket or box nailing machine, the combination with the basket nailing, and former-adjusting devices; of a loose pulley with a hubhaving a locking-lug in its side, a main shaft having a rigid boss E and gearwheel E, a spring-seated locking-bolt e sliding in the boss parallel to its axis to engage the lug of the pulley and having an outturned end, the sliding clutch-trip bar havinga cam-head adapted to engage the end of the locking-bolt and a transverse pin a", the larger gear E with cam-groove in its side having a recess toward the center, a spring for advancing the trip-bar, and means for connecting the latter to the basket-former substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN C. TITUS. lVitnesses:

HUGH J. PAYLoR, II. 0. WHITE. 

